Predicting Patrick Mahomes’ next contract: Will it limit the Chiefs?

Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is due for a massive bump in pay.

Although Patrick Mahomes is not the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL right now, he should be.

The face of the Kansas City Chiefs franchise is the best and most important player in the sport. Only six years into his professional career out of Texas Tech, Mahomes is already a lock for Canton enshrinement. He has two league MVPs, two Super Bowl MVPs and has hoisted two Lombardi Trophies. However, he is only making $45 million in average annual salary on his current contract.

While Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio expects Mahomes to be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL once again before next season starts, we have to wonder how this will affect the Chiefs’ plans to build a perennial contender around him going forward. Keep in mind that other superstar AFC quarterbacks such as Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert have yet to be paid their big-time money.

Let’s discuss what a new Mahomes contract could look like and how it might affect the franchise.

Kansas City Chiefs rumors: What a new Patrick Mahomes contract may look like

Florio suggested that tacking on three years to his current deal with the Chiefs that runs through his age-36 season in 2031 is probably the most logical outcome. Mahomes is never playing for another franchise. Even if he somehow does, it would be in the twilight of his prime like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, or way past it like Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers did with the Indianapolis Colts.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is absolutely right in letting other quarterbacks get paid before Mahomes. There are three reasons for this. One, it makes historically frugal teams in the AFC like the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Chargers have to pay up for their young star quarterbacks. It doesn’t matter what they pay, so long as they do, which will limit their resources.

Two, delaying to pay Mahomes top of the market value may afford the Chiefs more capital to go for a rare repeat as Super Bowl champions this season. Kansas City is firmly in its championship window, so the Chiefs organization needs to take full advantage of this. While they should remain competitive throughout Mahomes’ career, keep in mind Brady went years without winning titles.

And three, the longer the Chiefs wait, the less likely they will have to restructure Mahomes’ contract again. Okay, I know that’s wishful thinking, but for whatever reason, I think Veach and the rest of the Chiefs’ brass would rather wait and see what the Bengals and Bolts do about Burrow and Herbert first before agreeing to give Mahomes even more money and years far beyond 2031.

Frankly, I would anticipate Mahomes eclipses $55 million in average annual salary when he does put pen to paper again. Frankly, if Cincinnati and Los Angeles are willing to pay more for Burrow and Herbert than the Baltimore Ravens were for Lamar Jackson, how does $57 million a year sound? Mahomes could have a tasty new deal with Heinz as part of these contract negotiations…

Ultimately, paying Mahomes again long before his deal runs out will hurt their plans to field a championship-caliber contender around him … in the long term. However, with a growing financial pie, the Chiefs in win-now mode and Mahomes at the peak of his powers, it serves Kansas City to be all-in on their quarterback. A new deal could have star players walking in free agency, though.

I would not shock me if Mahomes ends up with more than $1 billion in net worth before he’s 40.